Heavenly Honey
by Erin Elric
Summary: Sam drags Dean to a farmers market once again. However, this time he finds himself at a honey booth manned by a rather attractive beekeeper.
1. Chapter 1

Heavenly Honey

Dean hated the farmers market. He was a man that lived on meats and the most vegetables he got in his meal are the lettuce that appeared on his burger. As for fruit, he got that in pie. Now, however, Sam has decided he has issues with his eating habits. So, now here was Dean. Standing in the middle of the farmers market as Sam talked about all the health benefits for eating healthy. He just nodded as Sam talked and talked about how wonderful kale was. Gross.

"This place is big, Dean. So we'll meet back here at four, okay?"

"Yes, mom." He teased his brother.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Alright, Dean, I'll see you in a little bit and you better buy something."

"I told you. Apples for a pie. That's it, Sam that's all I'm getting." Dean huffed.

Sam walked away and left Dean at the front of the market.

Dean spotted some apples and shrugged. "Found the apples." He mumbled to himself. He decided to walk around. Sam was going to be here for a while so he would just get them later. He started walking maybe he would run into a hot girl or guy. He scanned the booths as he walked by. Most people he spotted were not his type. He kept walking.

There were some craft booths that he stopped at and admired their work. Bought himself a bracelet at one and kept moving. The next booth over from the crafts was a booth that sold honey. Dean really didn't like honey. He started to walk away when a gruff crisp voice greeted him.

"Hello, and welcome to Heavenly Honey."

He jerked his head up so fast his neck popped. The man on the other side of the counter smiled at him a wide gummy smile. Oh, my, God, he was handsome. He had raven black hair that was longer than Dean's hair but still short. It was sticking out everywhere like the wind had blown through it (it probably had as this was an outdoor event), tan skin, and piercing blue eyes. Dean's mouth fell open. "Uh, hi." He forgot how to talk for a minute

The man smiled again. "Yes, hello." He picked up a small jar. "Would you like to try some honey?"

"Uh?" He stared at the honey. _I'd like to try you_. He thought. He took the honey and took a small bit of it. "Mmmm, that's actually good." He said

"Actually good?" The man asked

"Sorry," He licked his finger that got some honey on it. He did defiantly notice the guy behind the counter watch him lick his fingers. "I usually don't like honey. But this is good."

He smiled. "Perhaps you never had fresh honey."

"Must be it." He looked at the cup which was now minus honey. "Usually, I get like the stuff in the store."

He nodded and gave him a devilish smirk. "Mine is certainly better than store-bought honey."

He raised an eyebrow. "So you…"

"I am a beekeeper. My bees made that honey that you enjoyed."

"Awesome." He smiled at him. "Never met a beekeeper before." He tossed the cup into a trashcan. "How much?"

"A small jar five dollars, a large one is ten. I even have specialty honey."

"I'll take a small jar. It'll be good on toast." He took out his money and handed it to the man. His fingers brushed against his as they exchanged the money and honey.

"Enjoy."

"Thanks." Dean walked away with his jar of honey. He wondered back to the area where he was going to meet Sam. He got his apples and sat on a bench waiting for Sam.

Sam approached him with an armful of bags filled with fruits and vegetables. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah." He held up his arm. "This bracelet, apples, and a jar of honey."

"Honey? I thought you didn't like honey."

"Well, uh," He blushed and looked away. "I made an expectation."

"So what was her name?"

"Well, he and… I didn't catch his name."

"Oh." He blinked and laughed. "I see."

"Yeah, it's good honey though, Sam."

He nodded and they gathered their bags and left.

Dean really did like the honey. He had it on toast nearly every morning. He put it in his tea and he rarely drank tea beforehand. The jar was slowly becoming empty now. The weekend was approaching. "Sam," He started one morning.

"Yes?"

"Is there a farmers market this weekend?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sam said with hesitation in his voice. He looked at Dean his eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"I'm uh, almost out of honey."

"Sure." Sam said with a teasing tone and a smile.

That weekend the two of them went to the farmers market. Dean left Sam and headed to the honey booth. He was grinning. Today he was going to learn the man's name and if he was feeling ballsy maybe even get his number. He walked up to the booth his grin wide. He stopped in front of it. "Hello." He said smoothly and flirty.

"Hi! Would you like to try a sample?" Asked a woman's voice

Dean blinked. It was a different person at the booth this time. He felt his face heat up as he looked at the dark-haired woman before him. "I uh," He blinked at her.

She had dark hair and blue eyes. She could very well be that guy's sister or just as easily his wife or girlfriend. "A sample?" She asked as she offered up a cup.

"No, I uh," He picked up a small jar. "This one I had it the last time and… really liked it."

She nodded. "We at Novak farms are always happy to have repeat customers." She took the jar and his money. She bagged the honey and handed it to him.

He licked his lips. "So, uh, last time I was here there was a guy and…"

"Oh, you must mean Castiel." She smiled fondly. "Average height, dark hair, blue eyes, built?"

"That's him."

"Yup, that's my brother Castiel." She offered up a sample to another person that stopped by the booth. "He is our beekeeper. It's a big farm. He was busy today so I covered his booth for him."

"A big farm? I thought it was just some guy and some bees?"

She laughed. "Well, clearly you didn't read the jar label." She smirked. "I can tell him you asked about him?"

He felt his face burn hot. "Uh, sure."

She told him to have a nice day and Dean left feeling confused and nervous. He looked over the jar of honey and sure enough on the back was a story about the family farm.

_The Novak family farm has been in operation since 1922. It continues with each generation of Novaks._ Then it informed him to follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Dean looked around for Sam. Not seeing him he sat on a bench and looked up the farm on the internet. He found the official company website. The first thing that came up was their logo and a large family picture. He scrolled through it. There were about six of them involved in different parts of the company and the farm. He looked through the names of the Novak family until he spotted Castiel. With a nervous finger, he clicked on the link about Castiel. The screen filled with a picture of the man. Dean felt his heart flutter as he stared into those big blue eyes and took in his gummy smile. God, just something about Castiel just set his mind ablaze. He scrolled down to the general information. Castiel had many degrees in various fields, he took up beekeeping as a hobby and decided that he enjoyed it and by using his business degree he was able to start up his own business _Heavenly Honey_ that was part of Novak Farms. Castiel also donated time and money to various charities and started outreach programs for at-risk youth. Dean smiled at the picture below with Castiel holding a jar of honey in his bee keeper's outfit.

He wondered what it would be like to go on a date with Castiel. He sighed. He wanted to know more about Castiel. His body coursed with excitement as butterflies filled his stomach. Yes, there was something about this man that just got his motor running. He wanted to get to know him. He had to see him at least, though, in order to do that.

"Did you get the honey?" Sam asked which startled Dean out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah I got the honey."

He smirked. "Did you get the man's name this time?"

"Yes, it's apparently Castiel."

He frowned. "Castiel?" He repeated as he made a face. The name was hard to wrap around. "Well, did you get Castiel's number?" He asked stumbling over the name again.

He blinked. "Oh, no, he uh, wasn't here. His sister is manning the booth and she told me his name."

"Oh." Sam said and left it at that.

Dean's body still hummed with excitement. He was looking forward to coming back and hopefully get to talk to Castiel.

The weekend comes along faster than Dean anticipated. He finds himself going to the market without Sam. He has a goal in mind and no matter what he is going to see it through. He headed right to where Castiel's booth was. He walked towards it and stopped.

There he was standing in the booth. A warm pleasant smile across his face as he handed a jar of honey to a young woman. "You have a good day ma'am." Castiel said. His gruff voice shook Dean to the core. God that was such a hot voice.

Dean marched right up to him. He smiled at Castiel who looked at him with a confused look. "Hey, there." Dean said as he leaned against the counter separating the two of them. Dean considered himself an expert in flirting.

Castiel blinked and looked at him. "Oh, you're the guy who was here two weeks ago." He picked up a jar and held it out to him.

"Oh, no I'm not here to buy honey."

His face fell as he sat down the jar. "Oh." He said softly

"Sorry I…." He rubbed the back of his head as nervousness took over. Maybe he wasn't as good at flirting as he thought. He shook his head and tried again as confidence flooded in. "I came here last week…. I wanted to…" Nope, no confidence. He felt his heart pound from nervousness as Castiel's blue eyes locked with his. Seriously, how could one man have such deep dark blue eyes?

"Castiel."

Dean looked up to see the bee keeper's hand extended to him.

"My name is Castiel." He flashed him an award-winning smile and Dean about lost his mind at it.

He took his hand. "Dean. My name is Dean Winchester." He chuckled. "I actually already knew your name… I talked to your sister last week."

He tilted his head and it reminded Dean of a puppy. It was a cute look on Castiel. "You spoke to Hannah?" He licked his lips and looked thoughtful. "Oh, yes, she mentioned someone came around asking about me."

"That was… uh, me." He felt his face redden. Now he felt like a creepy stalker. Maybe this wasn't a good idea? Castiel probably thought he was some weirdo or something now. Shame crept into his bones. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He could find himself another hot guy with intense blue eyes, right?

"I am sorry that I missed you." Castiel sighed. "I had business to take care of at the farm and I couldn't come in." He rubbed his arm and Dean noticed the faint blush color his cheeks. "I was hoping you would come back." He said very softly

Dean no longer felt like a creeper. He smiled boldly. "Yeah, I came around. I wanted to see you again too, Castiel."

He smiled. "Well, good, at least we are on the same page. By the way, you can call me Cas."

"Cas?"

"Yes, my brother informed me that Castiel is far too long of a name."

Dean snickered. "It is a long name."

"Imagine living with it." He looked at the honey and sighed. "Did you actually like the honey, Dean?"

"Of course I did." He felt his face heat up

He nodded. "Good. I was worried you only got it because you wanted to flirt with me."

Dean felt bold again. "That was part of it."

He smirked. "I knew it." He picked up a jar and scribbled something on the back of it with his pen. He placed it in Dean's hand.

"I don't," Dean started but Castiel cut him off.

"I have to man the station all day. But," He paused and grinned a wicked grin that sent Dean's mind straight to the gutter. "If you want," his voice dropped a few octaves. "To get some coffee some time give me a call." He winked

Dean's jaw practically hit the floor. "Uh, ye-yeah sure… I'll, uh, call you." He was so stunned he forgot how to speak for a second. He stumbled away from the booth and heard Castiel greet another customer with gusto. He looked back at him and their eyes locked again. Castiel grinned at him. A grin that made his dick twitched with excitement. Castiel gave him a wink and the 'call me' gesture. He blinked and stumbled further away. He looked at the jar and got out his phone and put Castiel in his contacts before the ink rubbed off the jar. He couldn't wait until this coffee date. He grinned ear to ear. This coffee date was going to be amazing. He could just feel it. This was the start of a beautiful relationship.


	2. Chapter 2

Heavenly Honey

Chapter 2

Castiel couldn't stop himself from smiling as he walked into his office. He grinned ear to ear as he sat down at his desk.

Meg smirked as she looked up at him. "You seem to be in a good mood, Clearance. Did you get laid?"

He jerked his head up. "What?" He asked. He was busy checking his phone to see if Dean had texted him back.

She chuckled. "I asked if you got laid." She put her feet on her desk and put her arms behind her head.

He glared at Meg and rolled his eyes. The two of them had been friends since middle school. Once they graduated and finished college he offered her a job helping him manage his honey company. Though his honey business was part of his family farm, it was a company of its own. "No, Meg," He smirked. "I just have a date with someone."

"Oooh, a someone does this someone have a name?" She asked as she got up from her desk and walked over to him and leaned on his desk.

"His name is Dean." He set his phone down and gave a glance over at his schedule. Nothing planned for the day. Good. "I met him at the market a few weekends ago." He rubbed his arm suddenly feeling self-conscious. "He got a jar of honey and came back when Hannah was running the booth. I got his number last weekend. We are uh, having coffee later."

"Glad to see you're back in the dating game, Clearance." She said as she sat up. "It's been what months?"

He sighed. "Since Claire." He ran his hand through his hair.

"Did you tell him about her?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean… why ruin something before it even gets started." He sighed. He looked at the invoices on his desk. He signed them and handed them to her. "File these please." He said his voice deflated. He had a hard time getting dates lately or at least getting past the first few dates. Yes, nothing scared someone off quicker than the phrase 'I have a child' He sighed as Meg took the paperwork and walked off. Claire wasn't his biological child. Claire was his twin brother Jimmy's child. Jimmy passed away a few years ago and he was helping Amalia (Claire's mother) financially take care of her. Then Amalia died in a car crash. Though the Novak was a large family Castiel wanted to take in Claire. He had helped work with troubled children and felt he could make a difference in her life. He loved her like a daughter. Shame it seemed to scare of prospective dates.

Castiel looked at his calendar. It had been nearly a year since his last date. That one he had at least gone out with twice until they found out about Claire and ran for the hills. His phone light up and he grabbed it. Excitement coursed through him as he looked at it.

_Dean: I am available at five if you want to meet up today?_

With shaking hands, he texted him back. "My date is tonight."

"Are you going to tell him? Or are you going to do like the last one and wait until you bring them home?"

He sighed. "I find this man to be attractive." He said to himself. "What do you think I should do, Meg?"

"Asking for advice already?" She smirked. "How about you try being honest?"

"Honest?"

"Yeah, just come right out and tell this guy that you have a kid at home."

He sighed. "Okay…. I just hope he takes it well."

She smiled a genuine smile. "If he is really interested in you, Castiel having a kid at home waiting for you won't send him packing. I mean you said the dude came by several times just to get your number and that seems like a lot of effort to me. Plus, when was the last time anyone took that much effort into asking you out?"

"That would be never." He said with a smile.

She shook her head. "You would be proud of that wouldn't you?" She teased

The truth was Castiel never had much luck in the relationship department. He was late to the dating scene gone throughout high school with no dates; he didn't even go to his prom. On the other hand, however, Jimmy married his high school sweetheart. Castiel after that just sort of focused on his career. He got through college fairly easily, started up his business (tough it had help from his family's farming company) and aided troubled youth. He was in his thirties now and had zero to no luck on the dating scene. It rarely worked out. He was pretty sure only one of them he saw more than once. He smirked to himself. He even botched online dating when Meg set him up an account. Dating didn't seem to come easy for him. Not for the lack of trying.

"Just be yourself and everything will be fine."

"I think me being myself is the problem." He said. He looked at the clock the day was still young. It was going to be a long day.

Castiel arrived at the café Dean wanted to meet at. He looked at himself in the mirror of his car. He looked nice, in his opinion. He had on a nice blue shirt (that brought out his eyes according to Meg), and dark wash jeans. He tried to fix his hair but it was an unruly mess. Sometime in his twenties he gave up on his hair and let it do whatever it wanted. It never laid right. He was pretty sure he had his bangs lying to one side and just in the short car ride it was sticking up everywhere like he had just gotten out of bed. He tussled it some more to make it look like it was on purpose. He looked at himself again before he exited the car. Yeah, he looked nice.

He got out of his car and walked up to the café. His heart was pounding but he strolled in like he knew what he was doing. Being confident was key. He spotted Dean who was sitting in the back with his head in his hands staring off into space. He waved at him and Dean's face lit up and waved back. He dared say he strutted up to Dean.

Dean got up and pulled a chair out for him. "Hi, uh, Cas, how are you?"

"I am fine." He said as he sat down. "Thank you. I love a gentleman." He caught the dusty red blush on Dean's face as he sat down. He also noticed the freckles that dotted his face. Cute. "How are you, Dean?"

"I'm good." He chuckled then he licked his full lips. Those lovely lush lips. Castiel could only imagine how those would feel on his body.

Castiel's less than pure thoughts were interrupted when a waitress approached the table. They placed their order and she left. Castiel decided it was time to man up and break the ice. "So what do you do for a living, Dean? I never got the chance to ask."

Dean went to speak but the waitress returned with their drinks. He shot her an annoyed look then went back to speaking. He took a sip of his coffee. "Good stuff." He muttered. "I work as a mechanic. But I also teach at the vocational school." He smiled. "Training future generations of mechanics."

"Car mechanic?" He asked. He felt his head tilt some. "That's an interesting line of work. I don't know much about cars other than to drive it and put gas in it." He chuckled. "So what made you decide to be a mechanic?"

"My dad, he and my uncle owned a shop. They taught me everything I know and then well… I went out on my own. Started my own place." He rubbed the ring of the coffee mug. He looked at the coffee then looked back at him. Castiel hadn't noticed how green his eyes were. They were mesmerizing. Like two green pools. They had little flecks of gold in them that enhanced his already lovely eyes. He was lost… he was so lost he didn't even realize that Dean had spoken to him. "Cas, yo Earth to, Cas."

He blinked. "Oh uh… did you say something?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I asked how did you get into beekeeping?"

"Oh uh, well… when I was a teen… I wasn't very popular so while my brothers and sisters were out with friends or whatever I choose to stay home and while at home my grandpa showed me the art of beekeeping." He smiled thinking back on those times in his grandfather's backyard as he went over the best way to harvest the honey.

"That was something else I was wondering about. Do all of you all really run that farm?"

He sighed. "Well, not all of us go into the business. It's a few of my siblings and cousins."

"So it's not passed from one generation to the next? Like from your grandpa to your dad to one of you?"

He shook his head. "No. There is far too many of us for that. My great grandfather, he had a lot of children. It was common at that time you see, and then they had kids and so on… my father had six siblings and they all had five to six children each." He sipped his coffee choosing his next words wisely. "There were hurt feelings in the family. Some of us didn't want to go into the farming business. Some wanted to do it as a hobby or had no interest at all. That story that says it's run by one family is a fabrication. It hasn't been run like that in three generations. What makes it up now is a few of my siblings and cousins. I took up beekeeping, my sister Hannah does floral arrangements, my other sister Anna takes care of the finances. Then my cousins do everything else. It's a large farm and there are a lot of us. We do have arrangements though that family not directly involved still gets money from it."

"That doesn't seem fair. If they aren't helping they shouldn't get anything."

"It may seem like that but we take care of our own." He sighed. "It's mostly there so no part of the Novak family has to struggle. The Great Depression took a toll on my family, my great grandparents wanted to make sure that never happened again. My… uh, my niece, her father was never interested in the farm and after his passing, she has been well taken care of."

"I think it's great that you guys take care of each other." He smiled. "Family is important."

"What about your family?"

Dean started to talk then hesitated. "I… well; shit… this usually chases people off." He sighed. "Might as well lay my cards out there. I live with my brother. It's been… well, my folks they died when Sammy was a teenager. We didn't have much… dad kind of… well, dad was a screw-up. Mom died when we were young. I lift home… at a pretty early age and lived with my Uncle Bobby. Once Sammy was done with school we moved out here so he could go to law school. He doesn't have time to work you know with internships and studying. So he lives with me I pay his bills and make sure he has food." He drank his coffee and sat down the empty cup. "People tend not to like the idea that if I bring them home there's a twenty-three-year-old man there that I am helping through college." He laughed bitterly. "The last person I went out with told me my relationship was weird because I treat Sam like he's my kid."

"Oh." Castiel nodded. It didn't seem to be a big deal to him. So Dean loves his brother? He thought that was sweet. "I can't believe someone would run off at the thought of your brother being important."

"Family first. That's my motto. He's been there for as far back as I can remember."

"Well, I won't get jealous." He sipped on his coffee. "I will lay out my cards then. Remember my niece I mentioned? She lives with me. She's like a daughter to me." He watched Dean's reaction.

Dean gave a soft smile and nodded. He seemed to be unbothered by this piece of information. "Awesome, does she help you out with the business?"

"Somewhat. As you may know, I help at-risk youths." He finished off his coffee and set the mug down. He studied Dean again. Dean leaned in on the table listening intently. Castiel felt his heart warm. He couldn't remember the last time someone outside of the family took a genuine interest in what he had to say. "It's an after school program. The principle has set up a deal with the farm when a child is experiencing issues in school then they offer up the program instead of detention. The thought is to give them an after school activity that teaches them a useful skill that they can cultivate later in life and possibly inspire them to go into farming."

"So they don't just do the beekeeping?"

"No, they spend about a week with me, and then they go on around the farm until they see everything. We skip over the winemaking process though."

Dean chuckled. "You guys make wine too?"

"It's a big farm, Dean. We grow our own grapes and make our own wine, we do produce of all sorts which we distribute to the local business, diary, and those are just some of the major ones. We are even going into the brewery business."

"Novak beer?"

"I think my cousin is still working on the name." He smiled. He looked at Dean who looked at him with genuine interest again. "You should come and see the farm. We are actually going to be having a beer and wine festival next week."

"I'd uh; I would like to do that."

"Splendid." He jotted down the address for the farm. "It's a bit remote." He slid the paper over to Dean who took it and looked over it.

"I think I know where it is."

"Good. I'll have you know this is the best date I've had in a while."

Dean chuckled as he finished off his coffee. "Best date I've had in a while." He looked at him. Dean's green eyes were filled with joy. "You seem like a cool dude. Plus you're hot which is important."

He felt heat rush to his face. "You're hot too." He said with a wink that felt odd.

He laughed. "The hell was that? You call that a wink?" He winked back at him and Castiel felt like the world had stopped.

Castiel's mouth went dry. He was fairly certain his jaw hit the floor. Who knew something so simple could be so hot? He blinked. He forgot how to talk.

"Now that," Dean started as he pointed at him and winked again. "Is a wink."

"It was… it was something." He felt his heart flutter. He had never had anyone make him feel like this. Usually, it took him a while to warm up to another person (another reason as to why his dates never went well)

Dean smirked seductively. "So… how about we keep this good date going?" He asked. He reached out and took Castiel's hand and rubbed his thumb across the knuckles.

"Okay." Castiel said his voice coming out higher than he expected. He felt his face heat up. Here he was fumbling over his words and his voice coming out like some teenaged boy.

Dean grasped his hand and they stood up. They walked to the front of the café and out the door. "I know a great place not far from here." He turned and walked down the sidewalk Castiel's hand still in his.

He stared at his hand. His brain finally caught up to the rest of him as they walked. Soon they stopped at a small park area with a tree and a bench that faced a hill lined with flowers. "Wow." He mumbled. This was not what he had in mind when Dean asked if he wanted to take the date elsewhere. He had something more along the lines of the two of them and a bed. Well bed optional but the two of them together and naked… and he needed to stop thinking like that before he embarrassed himself.

Dean led them over to the bench and they sat down. "I love it here. I found out about it by accident."

He looked around to see that it was far from the stretch of buildings that was Main Street. "It's very pretty."

He nodded. "Yeah, apparently it was a dumping ground way back in the day. The city decided to put dirt on top of it and make a little park." He gestured to a sign nearby. "They are gathering funding for a playground."

Castiel stared at the flowers. Butterflies danced along the blooms, a bumblebee was busy pollinating. It was a lovely sight. He felt Dean staring at him. He looked over at him. "What?"

He blushed. "Just uh, you… your so… adorable… watching the uh, bugs and shit."

He laughed. "Adorable? I thought I was hot."

"You can be both." He leaned up against Castiel's shoulder

Castiel's brain lost all ability to have thoughts. 'Holy shit!' he kept thinking over and over again. He looked at Dean who looked up at him with his brilliant green eyes. 'Kiss him' his brain offered up. He licked his lips. Dean's eyes followed his tongues movements. He reached out and cupped his chin. "Dean…"

"Cas?" He all but moaned

"Would it be… forward of me to kiss you?"

"Go ahead." He breathed

They were so close their breath mingled together. Castiel closed the gap and placed his lips on Dean's. Dean opened his mouth in return and let Castiel's tongue in. Castiel let out a small moan. The taste of coffee and Dean filled his mouth. The world seemed to sop for a moment all that mattered was him and Dean sitting on this bench making out in front of the flowers and the bees. Castiel pulled his mouth off Dean's. Both men sat and pant while they stared at each other.

"Damn." Dean breathed

"My feelings exactly." Castiel said with a low chuckle

"I don't think I have ever been kissed like that." He grinned

"Did you enjoy it?"

"I did." He took his hand. "I would like to do it again." He smiled. "And I mean all of it. The date and the kissing."

"I would too, Dean."

Dean brought his hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "Okay baby. How about this weekend?"

"Sounds great."

"Alright." He helped him off the bench. "I'll walk you back to your car."

"Such a gentleman."

"I try." He said with another one of those heart-stopping winks.

They make it back to the café parking lot. Castiel walked up to his car and looked at Dean who is standing beside a classic car that looks like an Impala. He wasn't sure since he didn't know much about cars. "Nice car." He said to Dean with a nod

Dean blushed. "Thanks." He patted the hood fondly

Castiel smirked. "I might get jealous."

"You can get jealous but she's my first love." Dean said. He closed the gap between them and kissed him again. "I really did enjoy this, Cas." He opened the door for Castiel,

"Thank you." Castiel said as he got in the car. "I enjoyed this too." He watched Dean get in his classic car. He waved at him before he drove off. Castiel dug his phone out his pocket and nearly dropped it as he tried to turn it on. His body hummed with excitement as he texted Meg about how his date went. He tossed it in the seat beside him as he backed out of the parking spot. He heard it go off several times after that and he smiled and couldn't stop smiling. He was so happy. He couldn't wait to tell Meg everything.


	3. Chapter 3

Heavenly Honey

Chapter 3

Some time had passed since Dean and Castiel's first date. Each date went better than the last. Dean smiled to himself wistfully as he looked at his phone. The tasting event was coming up soon. He did not expect them to go on so many dates before the day arrived but they had. Castiel always seemed to find time for Dean and Dean found time for him.

Dean right now was in his classroom. Though usually, he worked in the garage for his class, he would start the lesson in the classroom and often went over terms and gave tests in the classroom. Today was the day the high school students would start. The vocational school worked in tandem with the high school and would send students there for early college or vocational classes. Typically Dean would usually get kids were dangerously close to dropping out of school, or ones that wanted to be mechanics, and rarely an engineering student who wanted to design the next greatest car. He looked over the list of students. He had about fifteen of them this time. He looked up at the clock he had about five minutes before the bus would arrive with them.

He picked up his phone and read over the message from Cas about the tasting event. Dean had asked him about a dress code.

_It is considered a black-tie event. Just wear your best clothes no one is going to notice as long as you aren't naked ;)_

He let out a sigh and sent him a reply.

_You would like to see me naked, wouldn't you? ;)_

He frowned and texted Sam. He didn't own much in what he would call dress clothes. He was best very casual. He stuck to the basics when it came to dressing up. He sent a text to Sam asking for help with his wardrobe.

_Sam, Cas said that event is a fancy one. I got to dress up. He told me I could show up in anything but I want to make a good impression_

He knew that Cas's family was going to be there and he wanted to impress them. He wanted them to like him. Sam texted him back

_I'll take you shopping after you get home. :)_

He thanked his brother and set his phone down. He heard the loud sounds of teenagers coming down the hall. He sighed. He didn't mind having the teenage class but he certainly preferred the older crowd. He looked up from his desk and watched them file in. "Take a seat wherever." He told them. Once all the kids came in and he got them to stop talking he went through roll call. He went over every name until he hit the last one. "Claire Novak."

"Here." She was sitting in the back of the room. She had blond hair that was long and had a single braid in it. Heavy make-up in Dean's opinion. She looked like someone who was trying really hard to look tough.

He blinked. Wait, Claire Novak…. His stomach hit the ground. Holy shit! She was Cas's niece. He licked his lips as his mind raced. He mentally slapped himself. Get your shit together. He told himself. She may not even be the same one… though what were the chances of there being more than one Novak? Not like it was a very common last name in this town. He smiled at the class. "Well, for these six weeks I will be your teacher." He walked in front of his desk and half sat on the front of it. "My name is Dean Winchester." He was pretty sure he heard a sound come from Claire. He looked at her. He noticed her face turn a little red and she tried to hide her face behind her hair. Great just great. He was meeting Cas's niece for the first time… in his class. "You can call me Dean. Please do not call me Mr. Winchester. If you do I won't answer." The class chuckled at that. Kids always like a laid back teacher. "Alright let's get started."

The class went on without much of a problem. Not like a lot happened the first day. He would give them a lesson plan and asked them what they expected from the class. He dismissed them. The teenagers left as if shot out of a gun. His class was the last one of the day so they had time before their buses arrived to take them home. He watched them leave and felt eyes on him. He looked to see Claire standing there giving him the stink eye. "Yes? Do you have a question?"

She eyed her classmates as they left and once they were gone she looked at him. She gave him a once over her eyes narrowed slits. "So, Dean Winchester is it?" She looked back up at his face. "You wouldn't happen to know a Castiel Novak would you?" She asked her tone had an edge to it that Dean didn't care for.

"I do." He said. He smiled at her hoping to show that he was harmless. "He's my boyfriend." He chuckled when she grimaced. "So I was right. You are Cas's niece?"

She let out a long-suffering sigh that only a teenager was capable of. A 'why me' sigh. One that would go down in the history books. "Seriously? You are that Dean?" She scoffed. "God, why me?" She asked as she looked up at the ceiling

"I ain't that bad little lady." He said

"My uncle is dating one of my teachers. This is pretty awful in my book." She huffed. She pulled her bag on her shoulder and looked at the clock. She frowned. "Guess I am going to have to sign up for home economics"

"Now, now it ain't that bad. This class is only a month-long and it ain't like my love life is going to come up."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, everyone is going to think I am going to get special treatment. Word is going to get out and it will get out at some point then people will be like 'oh Claire only passed because her uncle is screwing her teacher'."

"I can give you a hard time if it makes you feel better."

"No, I just will change classes." She sighed. She headed for the door when he stopped her. "Dude, come on I'm going to miss my bus."

"No, listen don't drop out because of me. You took this class for a reason right?"

She nodded. "Yeah… I was in home economics and I didn't like it. The teacher had some really old ideas about women and… well I wanted to take something no one was expecting. Plus if I learn a little bit maybe I can help fix something at the farm." She laughed. "Or help Cas keep his car on the road. He's really clueless with that."

"See then stay. We'll act like we don't know each other."

She laughed. "Fine then, Dean. I don't know you and you don't know me." She left the room and headed down the hall.

Dean shook his head. Small world. He gathered his stuff and texted Cas.

_Heads up. Your niece is in my class and she wasn't too thrilled about you dating her teacher_

He put his phone away and didn't hear anything back. He headed to his car and drove home. He found Sam waiting for him in the living room.

"Hey, Dean." Sam said. He barely looked up from his book. Dean's heart ached as he looked at him. He wanted Sam to his best but he worried Sam was studying too much. "As soon as I finish this chapter I'll be ready to go."

"How about we hit a nice restaurant too?" He asked as he sunk into his favorite chair.

"Don't have a date tonight?"

"No," He shook his head. "Just because I'm dating someone doesn't mean I don't have time for my favorite brother."

"I'm your only brother."

He shrugged. "Never know." He played on his phone as Sam read. He still hadn't heard back from Cas. He felt a pull at his heart. What if he got Claire in trouble? What if she made up something about him? He checked his phone it had been about forty minutes since the last text. He decided to try not to worry about it as he opened his e-book and started to read. He let his mind sink into the words as his imagination traveled in the book.

"Done." Sam slammed his book shut which made Dean jump.

"Scared the shit out me." He hissed. He closed the app and realized he still hadn't heard from Cas. An hour had passed now. He licked his lips. Cas was probably busy.

Sam got up. "Come on let's go. I am starving." He was practically out the door before Dean got out his chair.

Dean was laughing as he followed him. "Ah, to be young again and always on the move." He teased as he opened the passenger side door of Sam's car.

Sam started the car and some sort of pop music started playing from his radio. "I got a place in mind. I'm craving a burger today." He started the car out of the driveway.

Dean chuckled. "Mr. Wholefoods is going to have a burger? Nice." He checked his phone

Sam shot him a dirty look and kept driving. "So… uh, how are things with you and Cas?"

"They are good… great even. Why?"

"Because you keep looking at your phone."

Dean sighed. "I… he's niece is in my high school group. She wasn't too happy once she realized who I was. She thinks that everyone in class is going to think she is getting special treatment since me and Cas are together. I warned Cas about her being pissed and I'm worried that I might have set something off."

Sam nodded as he talked. "I wouldn't worry, Dean." He pulled his car into a parking spot by a nice burger joint. "He's probably busy." He smiled at Dean. "I wouldn't worry about it."

The two of them got out of the car, walked in the restaurant and found themselves a good seat. They ordered their food.

Dean sighed. His phone went off and he checked it. It was a message from Cas.

_Sorry, it took me so long to get back to you. I was busy. I spoke with Claire she came into the house like fire. I am very sorry if she said anything that may have been upsetting. I reassured her._

Dean smiled. "Cas got back to me." He informed Sam

"You can text him back I don't mind." Sam said as he sipped his soda

He texted Cas back

_Hope she calmed down. I look forward to having her in my class. Even if it was a bit awkward way to meet her lol. I'm having dinner with Sam._

He put the phone back in his pocket. "He said she was upset but he dealt with it."

"Good. I know it was probably awkward."

"It was."

"Dean," Sam started. He cleared his throat. "I uh, I want you to know that I really want you to try with this guy."

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Sam?"

He sighed. "I'm not an idiot I know you keep sabotaging relationships."

"I don't," Dean started but Sam cut him off.

"You haven't had a long term relationship since what Lisa?"

"Cassie."

"She was before Lisa though. I know you went through some hits and misses but, Dean, it's been so long."

He sighed. Sam was right. He knew that. He and Lisa had been together for almost a year. He could remember her saying to him 'you only care about Sam. Anytime you have to choose between him and me it's always him. It's your choice now me or him.' It was an easy choice for Dean. He cared about Sam. Sam was his little brother and he had been looking after him since he was a child. All his exes had told him he treated Sam like he was his child and he did because Sam felt like his. He looked into his brother's eyes.

"I mean it, Dean. You seem so… happy now. I can't remember seeing you this happy since you got your garage. He… this Cas guy seems to be right for you."

"I haven't been dating him for that long."

"Yeah, but, Dean, every time you have a date with him you come back grinning like an idiot. You like him and clearly, you care about him. I just want you to be happy, Dean. There's no reason why you can't live for yourself."

Dean's heart warmed. He felt tears threaten to run down his face. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. Apparently, that was what he needed to hear. He felt like his heart was lifted up. Sammy approved, Sammy wanted him to be happy. "Thanks, Sam."

Sam smiled. "Don't cry, Dean." He patted his hand. "I just want you to know that I don't want to get in the way okay. I care I want you happy. You need to live for yourself for once."

He nodded. "Yeah, Sammy." He sniffed. "I will okay." He rubbed his eyes dry.

The waitress brought them their food. Dean looked at his burger and dug in. They were silent after dinner came in. They finished up Sam paid and stated that he had a refund from his student loans. They headed to the car and Sam took him to a department store.

Dean glared at the building. "I hate clothes shopping." He muttered

"I know." Sam said as they got out of the car. "But you need something nice. You can't show up at this event wearing ratty jeans. Plus maybe Cas would like to see you dressed up."

He sighed. "You're right." He agreed as they walked into the store. He followed Sam to the men's area. He pulled out his phone and checked his texts as Sam dug through the clothes. He had a text from Cas.

_If she gives you a hard time please let me know. Claire can be a handful at times. Like most teenagers. Hope you and Sam have a good dinner._

He put his phone up and Sam pulled out a nice shirt out of the clothing rack. He frowned at it.

Sam sighed. "Come on, Dean. Try it on first then frown." He held it up to his chest. "The red will bring out your eyes."

He took the shirt and looked at it on him in the mirror. "Okay, I'll agree it does make my eyes pop." He looked at the size than at the price. He frowned he never spent that much on clothes.

Sam pulled out a pair of dress slacks. "I hope these fit." He handed them to Dean

Dean sighed. "I'll try them on." He marched to the dressing room. He took off his clothes and slipped on the new ones. He was determined not to like it. He looked at himself in the mirror and stopped and stared. Holy crap he looked good. He looked at himself and checked the fit. The pants hugged his ass in the right way; the shirt fit perfectly showing off his muscles. "Hot damn." He said to himself. He walked out of the dressing-room to show Sam.

Sam let out a low whistle. "Dang, Dean, you look good." He chuckled. "You are going to blow Cas away."

Dean looked at the clothes. "I guess I'm getting this." He laughed. He looked at the tag and frowned

"Dean, everyone needs a staple outfit in their closet. Think of it this way unless you put on weight you have a good outfit for any purpose. Plus they can be worn with other outfits."

"You're right, Sam." He walked back into the dressing room and changed back into his regular clothes.

They paid for the goods and headed home. Dean couldn't stop smiling he couldn't wait until Cas saw him in that outfit. He couldn't wait to behold those blue eyes in shock. Yeah, it was going to be a good time.

It was the day of the tasting and festival. Dean drove his car down the backroad. He apologized to his car as he hit bumps along the way. The Novak farm was pretty deep into farmland. He started to wonder if he was ever going to make it when a large farmhouse came into view. "Wow." He said to himself.

The farmhouse was big, it looked like it had three floors, it was painted white and had a large porch that wrapped around the house, and it also had a small upper floor deck. There were a lot of flowers growing along the house. He let out a whistle as he pulled his car into the first parking spot he spotted.

He felt nervous. God, he did not expect this old farmhouse to be so nice. He adjusted his clothes and took a few breaths. The Novaks were more well off than he thought. He started toward the house. There were people standing on the porch talking amongst themselves. He felt underdressed. Most of the people he saw were wearing dresses and suits. Great.

He headed up the stairs. The guests stopped and looked at him. He nodded and smiled at them wanting to fall through the floor and disappear. He thought about running back to his car when he heard.

"Dean!"

He turned to see Castiel weaving his way through the crowd. "Cas." He said quietly. Castiel was in a suit with a blue tie that most likely brought out his eyes. He smiled at Castiel and almost laughed when the other man stopped and took in his sight.

"You look," He started as he got closer to him. He took Dean's hands. "Oh, Dean, you look amazing."

"Thanks. You look good too, Cas." He looked around the crowd. "Though I am underdressed compared to everyone."

"None sense you look good." Castiel hugged Dean. "Come in I want you to meet everyone."

Dean felt his heart thump in his chest. They walked into the house which was also full of people. "Cas, are you related to all these people?"

Castiel laughed. "No, some of these people are buyers, or supporters, friends of the family and so forth." He marched him to a table in the back and poured him a glass. "Here, this is the beer that my cousin designed."

Dean took the beer and took a sip. It was really good. "That's good beer." He said

"He'll be happy to hear that." He gestured for him to follow and walked him up to a group of people. He laid his hand on Dean's shoulder. "Dean, this is my cousin Lucas. He brewed the beer."

A tall man with sandy blond hair nodded. He extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Lucas."

"Dean." He took his hand and shook. "Good beer by the way."

"Thank you." Lucas said. "Castiel spoke highly of you."

"Well, good." Dean said. He felt himself blush. He noticed Castiel roll his eyes.

"Come on, Dean." Castiel pulled him along to the next person. "My eldest brother Gabriel he bakes desserts using all-natural ingredients from our farm."

A short man with brown hair smiled. "Hiya." He took Dean's hand and shook it. "Nice to know that Cas finally got him a man."

"Gabriel." Castiel hissed

He shrugged. "What?"

He rolled his eyes and moved on. "You meet Hannah already."

Hannah smiled and shook Dean's hand. "Nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you again, too." Dean said

They went to the next person a red-haired woman. "And this is my other sister Anna." Castiel said

She smiled at Dean. "Nice to meet you. Castiel speaks highly of you." She shook his hand. "You are a mechanic and a teacher right?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah I run a garage and I teach at the vocational school once a week."

"My car needs an oil change you do a friends and family discount?" She asked with a wink

Castiel frowned. "Anna, don't try to use my boyfriend."

"I'm just picking little brother." She laughed

Castiel leaned into Dean before they kept going. "Okay, Dean, I am going to take you to meet my parents."

Dean's heart flipped. "You're folks? How do I look? Do I look okay?"

"You're fine. I promise they won't kill you."

Dean felt his heart beating in his ear as he followed Castiel over to a couple chatting with a few people. "Oh man." He mumbled to himself

The woman turned to them. She had dark brown hair in a bun. "Castiel." She said. She smiled and hugged Castiel. "Is this him?"

Castiel nodded. "Yes, mom. This is Dean." He nodded to Dean

Dean's hands shook as he reached out. "Hello, I'm Dean."

She took his hand. "I'm Naomi." She looked at the man beside her. "This is my husband Chuck."

Chuck was a much shorter man than Dean expected. He had curly hair, a beard and blue eyes which is where Castiel must have gotten his from. "Hello." Chuck said with a nod. He extended his hand out for a handshake. Dean took his hand. "It is nice to meet you. Castiel talks a lot about you." He smiled warmly at Dean

Dean nodded. "Well, I hope he says good things about me." He chuckled

"Of course."

Naomi smiled. "I hope you feel welcomed, Dean."

"I do." He looked around the room at the other people mingling. "It's kind of cool that you guys have such a big family. My family was kind of small. Grandparents died when we were little, my mom passed when I was a kid… just been me, Sam and my uncle Bobby most of my life."

Chuck patted him on the shoulder. "You have family here now, son."

Dean felt a warm tingle in his heart. Family. Boy did the word family sound good. He smiled at them when suddenly he heard a very loud and dramatic gasp. He looked over his shoulder to see Claire standing there staring at him with her mouth half-opened.

"Seriously?" She looked at Castiel. "You brought him here?" She accused him

Castiel frowned. "Don't use that tone with me, young lady." He hissed

Dean felt uncomfortable and awkward. He rubbed his arm and sensed Chuck and Naomi ease themselves out of the situation. He moved to follow but didn't want to leave Castiel alone.

"Don't use that tone? You brought my teacher here and my friends are here! They are going to see him! Are you trying to ruin my life?"

Dean looked up to see her pointing at a few teenage girls in the corner talking. They were looking at him and at Castiel giggling.

"You are just making a scene." Castiel said. He took his niece under her arm and looked over at Dean. "Sorry." He ushered her away from everyone.

He felt so self-conscious. Everyone was staring at him and whispering it felt like. He frowned. He didn't want to be under the microscope here. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He looked back to see Naomi standing there.

"Listen, Dean," She whispered. "It might be a good idea for you to go."

He was ready to protest but she stopped him.

"Conflict is bad for business you see and we have associates here who might be… offended by family in-fighting." She patted his shoulder. "It was lovely meeting you though. Perhaps we should have dinner sometime."

And with that, she walked away. Dean felt hollow, empty and drained. It was like the life was sucked out of him. He looked around for Castiel but didn't see him. He sighed and pulled out his phone and sent Castiel a text. He slowly eased his way out of the house. He stood beside his car and stared at his phone. He didn't know what to do. If he left he risked upsetting Cas but going back in he would be stared at by all those people. Judged and questioned. He felt worthless. He hadn't felt like that in years. He had made great strides to feel more confident about himself and now here he was full of doubt again. He stuck his key in the door when he heard a shout.

"Dean! Wait!"

He looked up to see Castiel running down the stairs. "Cas, listen I," His words were lost when Castiel got to him. The beekeeper grabbed his hands.

"Please, don't go." He begged. He looked at him with pleading blue eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for Claire's outburst and for… mom chasing you off like that. Please, forgive me."

"I… it's not your fault, Cas."

He shook his head. "I feel like it is. I'm sorry I didn't know she was going to react like that. She's a teenager you see and you know how they get."

"I know I was one once." He sighed.

"And mom… I didn't expect her to ask you to leave. Listen, please, don't go." He rubbed his thumb along his hand.

Dean looked down at their hands then back at the house. He felt nervous. He didn't want to go back in there. "Look I… this has been fun don't get me wrong but I really think I should go home."

Castiel looked heartbroken. Tears welled up in his big blue eyes.

Dean licked his lips. He regretted what he said already. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

He shook his head. "No," He looked back at the house and sighed. "Please, don't… I can't… I can't keep doing this…" He took his hands away and stared at them as if unsure of what to do next. "I must be cursed to be alone… I can never seem to make it work." He looked at Dean his cheek was wet now. "I want it to work this time, Dean." He said his voice firm with resolve. "I like you a lot and I mean it. This time we have been together has been the happiest I have been in years. I've been alone for so long please, give me a chance."

He stared at Castiel. He had two choices. He could leave the beekeeper alone crying, or he could stay with him. He looked at his car and sighed. He really liked Cas too. He was a cool dude and hot too. He pulled the key out of the door. "This has been the happiest I have been for a while too." He looked at Castiel who smiled. "Though your mom isn't going to be happy to see me come back in."

Castiel looked at the house. "How about we don't go back in? I have always hated these stuffy parties anyway."

He smiled. "How about we go out and get something to eat?"

"Sounds great to me."

Dean walked over to the passenger side and let Castiel in. He then got in on his own side. "What about Claire?"

"Claire will be fine. She is staying with friends this weekend anyway. She came here with them."

"Okay." He started his car. "I didn't want you to be running out on her to be with me."

"It's fine." He had his phone in his hand no doubt texting her.

Dean sighed. This was more complicated than he thought to be with a man who had a kid at home. Especially a teenager that he actually had in class. He backed the car out of the spot and down the road. He looked over at Castiel a few times as the other man stared ahead. He clearly had a lot on his mind. The beekeeper glanced at him and smiled. Dean was fairly certain he would do anything to stay with this man. His beat fast in his chest. He sighed he was pretty sure he was falling for the guy. He reached out and took Castiel's hand and held it as he drove. Yup, he was falling in love with Castiel.


	4. Chapter 4

Heavenly Honey

Chapter 4

Castiel sighed as he walked into the front door of his home. He looked out the window and watched the taillights of Dean's Impala go down the road. He turned around to see Claire standing in the living room glaring at him. "Claire," He started. He pointed at a cough. "Sit down. We need to talk."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She hissed as she flopped on the couch with her arms crossed.

"Claire, do not be difficult." He said his tone even and steady. His 'dad tone' as Meg referred to it as. He sat down in the armchair across from her. "You're behavior at the party was inappropriate. I understand that you are upset that I am dating your teacher but you cannot act like. Especially out in public."

She rolled her eyes. "You are not my dad." She hissed and glared at him.

"I know. You make me painfully aware of that every time we fight." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Claire, you just," He stood up. Frustration was starting to take over. "I like him a lot, Claire. I have sacrificed so much already in my life. I just ask you to please behave at family functions."

She frowned at him. "Uncle Cas, I'm sorry." She rubbed her arm. "I didn't… I'm just worried people at school will think that I'm passing because you are with my teacher. I don't want people to think grades are being handed to me."

He sighed. "I understand, Claire."

She looked at him her blond hair half-obscured her eyes. "I… I just want you to be happy." She chewed her lip. "Since you've been going out with him it's the happiest I have seen you since… well since dad died." She got off the couch and flung her arms around him. "Sorry I was such a bitch, uncle."

He chuckled. "It's okay, Claire. I forgive you this time." He patted her back and returned the hug. "You may not see me as your father but I do see you as my daughter. I do not want things to be awkward between us."

She let him go and whipped her face catching stray tears. "It's still going to be so awkward. Especially if you bring him home."

He laughed. "I have bad news. I did invite him over for dinner tomorrow to make up for the incident at the party."

She blinked. "Do you… uh; want me to go over to Alex's for a while?"

He shook his head. "No, I want it to be a family dinner." He patted her shoulder. "If things work out with me and him you are going to have to get used to him."

She shook her head. "Oh no you and him hook up I'm moving in with Alex. There's just somethings family doesn't need to know about." She said with a wink

He tilted his head. "I don't understand… oh, you mean sex. Well, we haven't… not yet anyway."

She yelped and covered her ears. "Too much information! He's still my teacher don't give my brain any weird ideas." She walked around him and started to head upstairs.

"No internet Claire, for your behavior at the party."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Uncle. I will be upstairs doing homework and such." She started up the stairs. "I will need the internet though."

"Nope, crack a book."

She groaned and walked upstairs.

Castiel headed into his office and turned off the WIFI. He wouldn't be able to use the internet either but unlike Claire, it wasn't something he "had to have". He checked his phone to see that Dean told him that he made it home.

_I am happy to hear that. Once again I am sorry for Claire's behavior. I took away the internet as punishment._

Dean texted back. _No internet? That's just cruel, Cas ;)_

He smiled as he looked at his phone. They hadn't been dating for that long but Castiel really liked Dean. Just thinking about him made his heart flutter in a good way. He might… he might actually love Dean. He could see himself being with him in the long term. He hadn't been this happy with another person in years and he wanted and needed a partner in life. He could see that in Dean. There was just something about him. Something about them that told him they were meant to be together. He rubbed his arm. Truth be told, he was worried about moving too fast and scaring off Dean. He bid Dean goodnight and went to bed. Sleep did not come easy. He laid there tossing and turning. He wanted to tell Dean how he felt but was worried about scaring him. He was also worried about Claire. Would she really be okay with him and Dean being together together? After a long while, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Castiel arrived at his office the next day with his coffee in hand feeling drained. He just wanted to go back home and go to bed.

"Morning, Clarence." Meg said as he walked into the room. She looked at him and whistled low. "Whew, buddy, you look rough. Long night with Mr. Tall dark and handsome?"

"I wish." He chuckled as he sat down. "I just had a lot on my mind."

"Want to talk about it?"

He sighed. "Well, first of all, Claire isn't happy about me dating Dean."

"Why?"

"He's her instructor in one of her classes."

"Oh, I can't say that I blame her I'd be upset too if my father figure was banging my teacher."

He sighed. "I'm not banging Dean… not yet anyway."

"Oh not yet, huh?" She teased with a wink

He balled up a piece of paper and tossed it at her. "You're just jealous."

She laughed. "I want to meet this Dean guy. I have never seen you so head over hills before."

He smiled. She was right. He hadn't been this deep in love before. He thought back to the dinner with Dean the night before. How he smiled despite everything that happened at the party. How he wanted to form a deeper relationship with him and Claire by having dinner together. He sighed.

Meg laughed. "Clarence, you sound like a schoolgirl in love over there. Daydreaming about your handsome man."

He laughed. "He's just so dreamy." He said with a wink.

"Again I want to meet this guy."

He pulled out his phone. Meg did have a point. She has been his best friend for years she had a right to meet Dean. He texted Dean and told him about Meg wanting to meet him. Dean responded back quickly asking about lunch that afternoon. "Meg, do you have lunch plans?"

"Nope."

"Good, Dean wants to meet up for lunch." Nervousness washed over Castiel as the two of them got to work. He stared at the orders in front of him as his heart pounded. What if Meg didn't like Dean? What if Dean didn't like Meg? Those what-ifs floated through his head when he finally noticed it was almost noon and he hadn't done any work yet. He looked at Meg who looked up at him.

"You alright, Cas?" She asked

He nodded. "Yeah, I think so." His words came out higher than he meant.

She got up from her chair her eyes still on him. "It's going to be fine. Unless this guy is a complete dick then I'm going to punch him in the face."

He chuckled. "Please don't hit my boyfriend."

"No promises." She teased

They arrived at the café that Dean wanted to meet them at. Castiel was still nervous as he walked in with Meg behind him. He looked around the booths until he spotted Dean. Dean smiled at him and waved. Castiel was fairly certain his heart melted into a puddle on the floor. He smiled at Dean until Meg coughed.

"Clarence, stop staring at your boy toy."

He blinked and apologized. He walked up to the booth. Dean stood up and hugged him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Hello, Dean."

"Hey ya, Cas." Dean said. He let him go and looked at Meg. "I assume this is Meg or should I be jealous?"

Castiel rolled his eyes. "This is Meg."

Meg held out her hand and took his. "Meg Master, and don't worry I'm not competition." She winked.

Castiel felt his face heat up. "I regret this already."

They sat down in the booth. Dean and Castiel were beside each other with Meg across from them.

"So," Dean started. "You and Cas have really known each other since you were kids?"

She nodded. "Yup, me and Clarence go way back."

"Clarence?" He looked at Castiel. "I knew Castiel wasn't your real name too exotic." He teased.

Castiel rolled his eyes. "Dean."

She laughed. "That became my nickname for him. I couldn't say Castiel as a little kid so I decided to name him Clarence instead and it stuck."

Dean looked at Castiel. "He does look like a Clarence."

"Don't you start." Castiel hissed

He snickered. "So how did you two become such good friends?"

"We met in middle school. He uh," She looked at Castiel to ask for permission to tell the story.

"Go ahead." Castiel said softly. He balled his hands up. It may have been years ago but it still stung.

"Cas was bullied pretty regularly at school, especially when his brother wasn't around. One day, I was going to lunch and these big guys were trying to get him to do their homework and they well were getting ready to beat him. I jumped in and stopped them." She sipped her drink. "We have been friends ever since."

"Sorry, school wasn't very pleasant for me. I had a hard time making friends because I was considered weird." Castiel muttered. He felt Dean rub his thumb along his knuckles. He looked at him.

"It's okay, Cas. They don't know anything. I think you're great."

He smiled. "Thanks, Dean."

The three of them talked and had lunch. They had a wonderful time exchanging stories and talking about everything. Castiel was happy it seemed Dean and Meg was getting along just fine.

The rest of the day flew by for Castiel. He was back home harvesting the honey from his bees. He hummed to himself as he did his work. His mind kept floating back to lunch and how honest and loving Dean was. His mind flashed back to him holding his hand and reassuring him. Castiel didn't realize until that moment that he needed that. He needed to hear everything was okay. He needed to know that someone was there for him. He sighed. That was all he really wanted was someone there for him. Meg was fine and all but it wasn't the same.

He imagined what it would be like to be with Dean. Castiel would be out in the garden tending to it and harvesting the honey as Dean would be inside smiling at him from the kitchen window making him dinner or even better Dean could be out back with him helping him. He smiled to himself. He liked the thought of that. He heard the backdoor open. He turned to see his mother walking out and standing on the patio.

"Mom?" He asked. It was unlike Naomi to drop by unannounced. Then again he was busy she could have texted him and he missed it. He put the honey collectors down and walked towards her shedding pieces of his bee-keepers outfit as he walked. "What's wrong? It's unlike you to suddenly show up."

She chuckled lightly. "A mother can't stop by and visit her son? Is this a bad time?"

He shook his head. "No, mom, you're okay."

She sighed. She looked nervous. "So, I have been thinking about the party last night and well… I want to make it up to you and Dean. It wasn't fair of me to treat him like that." She rubbed her arm. "I want to try again. Meeting Dean that is, this time no fancy work event just us. If that's okay with him that is."

He nodded. "I will ask him. I and he were already planning on having dinner with family… well by family I mean me and him, and Claire."

"Ask him if it would be okay. I would understand if he wouldn't want to see me around."

He patted her shoulder. "Mother, it is okay. We understand that it was an important event. Drama has no place at something like that. I already talked to Claire."

"Good, I still as I said I want to make it up to Dean."

He smiled. "Okay, how about we go in and have some tea?"

"That sounds lovely."

They went inside and Castiel started boiling the water for tea. He texted Dean and asked him if it was okay if his mom came to the dinner. He placed his phone on the counter and waited for his reply.

"Castiel, I am still sorry about what happened at the tasting." Naomi said as Castiel poured the water into the cups. "I realized that I was unfair."

He smiled. "I am just happy you apologized." His mother wasn't one for apologies she was more of a 'action speak louder than words' type of person. She was methodical which sometimes made loving her hard almost impossible at times. But she was a caring person even though she ran life like a well-oiled machine. He sat at the table with her and sipped his tea. His phone went off and he checked it. "Dean says that he would love to have you over for dinner."

"Good." She smiled at him. "You do seem happier, Castiel."

His head jerked up from his phone. "What do you mean?"

She chuckled. "I just I can't remember the last time I seen you smile like this. Not since Jimmy passed away that is."

He sat his phone down. He didn't want to be rude to his mother. "I… I really like Dean." He wrapped his hands around his mug. "Mom, I think… I think I might actually love him." He sighed. "It's happening too fast isn't it?"

She took his hand and squeezed. "Sweetheart, when you know you know. When I met your father it was about a week when I realized it. I think it depends on the person." She said with a smile.

"I'm just afraid I will scare him off. It's not like I have had much luck in the dating department."

She laughed. "Oh, I know, son, I can't recall the last time you introduced me to anyone."

He shook his head. "Sorry, I haven't had much luck in the dating scene."

"It is okay, Castiel. Not everyone has the same experiences in the dating arena."

The two of them chatted for a long time before Naomi decided to leave. Castiel was happy to have visited with his mother. It was nice to sit and talk with her when she was open and willing to listen. He smiled. He couldn't wait until the dinner. He hoped no, he wanted everything to go right, for his family to like Dean and for Dean to like his family. He wanted them to be together as a family as a unit. He wanted Dean to be part of his family he knew that from the bottom of his heart.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I want to thank everyone for reading. Sorry my updates have been sparse. I have recently acquired a full-time job and have been busier recently. This is the last chapter the next one is the epilogue.

Heavenly Honey

Chapter 5

Dean stared at his phone that evening waves of nervousness and worry washed over him. He and Castiel had planned to have dinner, a nice dinner for Dean to get to know Claire after the debacle at the tasting event. He looked at the phone with his mouth half-opened…. Castiel's mother wanted to come to dinner. Good lord, now Cas's mother wanted to be involved. He chewed his lip as he read the text. Cas wanted to know if it was okay? He wasn't sure if it was. He wanted to make a good impression on Naomi Novak but he wanted time to prepare for meeting her again. She was a little intimidating to Dean. He looked over at Sam who was channel surfing with his laptop laying on his lap. He had an idea. "You got any plans tomorrow, Sammy?" He asked

Sam turned to look at him. "Nah, not really, I got some homework but I've almost got it done."

"Want to come with me to Cas's dinner?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go with you on a date?"

He felt his face redden. "N-no, Sam, I wanted you to…" He shook his head and sighed. He tried again. "His mother is going to go to the dinner and… well, you haven't met him yet either so I was thinking that you could come with me and… you know."

"Oh, okay sure." He smiled. "I really want to meet this Castiel guy anyway."

He smiled. "Okay, Sam." He texted Cas back and told him it was okay and asked if Sam could come. Castiel approved Sam coming. "Cas said he is really looking forward to meeting you."

Sam nodded and went back to his TV show. Dean studied his phone and was preparing to put it away when another text came in.

_Sorry I didn't give you enough warning about mom coming. I just really want everyone to get together and be a family_

He smiled at the text and replied:

_Me too, Cas, I would love for us to be one big family_

He sent the text and sighed. A big family, that's what he would be in if he and Castiel actually stay together for the long haul. He had never been part of a big family not really. His mother died early and his dad was there physically but not really there for most of his life. Sure he had Sam and Bobby but that was about it. He smiled wistfully. Him and Castiel together… as a family and with their families blended… he would like that. He wanted to be part of those big families that actually loved one another who had dinners on Sunday and spent holidays together. That was his dream. Him in the kitchen cooking with Castiel helping alongside him.

He looked at his dining room table that was far too big for him and Sam. He could see it now. The whole lot of them at the table smiling and laughing. He felt a warmness spread through his body. He smiled to himself. He felt hopeful, he felt… love… he knew that it was 'too early' in the relationship but somehow he knew already he and Castiel were meant to be together.

"I am so nervous." Dean confessed to Sam as they drove to Castiel's house. His heart was pounding, his hands sweaty, he wanted to run away and yet he was excited.

"Why? You meet them all before, I'm the one who should be nervous." Sam said with a laugh.

Dean turned the car down the road where Castiel's house was. "I know but still my first impression wasn't very good, you know. I want this woman to like me."

Sam smiled at him. "Aww, you really like Castiel don't you?"

He chewed his lower lip. "Sammy, I… I uh," He sighed. "I think I might love him." He glanced over at him to gauge his expression.

Sam looked at him with a bright smile. "That's great, Dean!" He exclaimed.

"What? Really? You don't think it's too soon?"

He shook his head. "No, Dean, if you think you are in love with him then you are in love with him."

Dean chuckled. "Sammy, you always know what to say."

He heard Sam chuckle. "Well, I am your brother I know how your mind works." Sam let out a whistle. "Wow, this is the neighborhood he lives in?" He asked

"Yeah." Dean discovered that Castiel lived in the 'rich' part of town with large houses and larger backyards. Cas had told him the main reason why he wanted a house there was so he had plenty of room for his garden and his bees. It really seemed like a lot of house for one man and his niece. He pulled up to Castiel's house and he heard Sam mutter a damn under his breath. He nodded in agreement as the two of them got out of the car.

They walked up to the door and Dean knocked. The door opened up and Castiel stood in front of them. "Dean!" He exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Dean.

"Hey, Cas," He said. He patted the other man on the back. It felt good to hold him. He was warm and he smelled great.

Castiel looked up at him with his big blue eyes. "Oh, uh," He let go of him and stepped away. He looked at Sam and smiled. "You must be Sam." He held out his hand and Sam took it. "I am Castiel."

"Hi, Cas, it's nice to meet you." Sam said.

Castiel stepped away from the door and let them in. "Come in."

They walked into his home and followed him to the dining room. Waiting at the table was Castiel's parents and Claire. "Dean is here." He said. "And this is his brother Sam."

Naomi got up from the table and walked up to Dean. She embraced him in a hug and whispered in his ear. "I am so sorry about what happened."

He pulled away. "It's okay Mrs. Novak, I know that event was important to your family so,"

She shook her head. "Still, it wasn't fair." She smiled at Sam and held out her hand. "Naomi Novak, I am Castiel's mother."

Sam took her hand. "I'm Sam it's nice to meet you."

Castiel gestured to the table. "Please have a seat." He pulled out a chair for Dean. "I'm going to get dinner." He announced. "Come on, Claire."

The teenager gave a dramatic sigh as she got up from the table and followed Castiel into the kitchen.

The two of them started to bring out the food. Dean's stomach growled as the smell of the food wafted up his nose. He glanced over at Sam who stared at the food being laid out in front of them. Dean couldn't remember the last time he saw this much food on the table for a dinner this big. He looked up at Castiel. "Wow, Cas, you really made a lot." It was all he could think of to say. He mentally kicked himself thinking he sounded ungrateful.

Castiel apparently didn't think that. He smiled warmly. So warmly it dug right into Dean's soul. "It was nothing, Dean. I do enjoy entertaining." He looked at Claire who sat down a plate of rolls and then returned to her seat. Once everyone was seated the host finally sat down beside Dean. "I am glad we could have this dinner together." Dean felt him take his hand under the table and rub his fingers along his knuckles.

Dean wrapped his fingers around Castiel's hand and smiled at him. They ate their meal. The group made idle conversation about various topics. Dean couldn't help but smile. Despite what had happened at the tasting event the Novak family had warmly welcomed him and Sam into their fold. He was happy. Several times during the dinner he and Castiel's hands would find one another under the table, or Castiel would rub his foot on the back of Dean's leg like a little reminder that he was here with him and never going anywhere.

The meal was finished and Dean was in the kitchen helping Castiel with the dishes. Dean looked into the living room to see Sam in a chair talking to Castiel's parents as he sipped wine. Sam was so social.

"Dean," Castiel said as he handed him another clean plate. "Something on your mind?"

Dean nodded as he took the plate. He licked his lips. He looked at Castiel and his heart fluttered as he looked into those deep blue eyes. "I…" He shook his head. "I think this is great. You, me… everyone together like a family, you know." He sighed and set the plate down. "I really… I really like you, Cas, I want… I want this."

He tilted his head. "Want what, Dean?"

"You and me to be a thing, to be together as a family." He rubbed the back of his neck. He felt like he wasn't making any sense. "Cas, I…" Castiel looked into his eyes. His dark blue eyes looked hopeful. "I think I love you." Dean felt his stomach drop. That hadn't been what he meant to say but it was how he felt. He studied Castiel expecting him to turn tail and run or something. Love. It was too early in their relationship for that.

Castiel smiled. He put the dish he was washing in the sink. He took Dean's hand and spoke calmly. "I think I love you too. I just was afraid it was too soon. Being with you has been some of the happiest times in my life. I want this relationship. I want you and I to be together." He leaned in and pressed his lips to Dean's. It was a simple kiss but deep in its own way.

"I want us to be together too." Dean said after Castiel broke the kiss. The two of them stood there in the kitchen holding each other just taking in the existence of the other. Dean could feel in his heart, without a doubt the two of them were meant to be together. He had never been surer of anything in his life. Dean and Castiel were meant to be together forever.


	6. Chapter 6

Heavenly Honey

Epilogue

Years had gone by, Dean smiled warmly as he got himself ready for the event. He fiddled with his tie mumbling cuss words under his breath.

"Need help, husband?" Castiel asked as he walked up behind him. He wrapped his arms around Dean's shoulders and pulled him in close.

"Yeah, I can't get this tie right." He grumbled as he looked into Castiel's eyes in the mirror.

Castiel smirked. "No need to be nervous. This isn't the first time you've done this." He assured him. His hands went to Dean's tie as he fixed it for him.

"I know but I still get nervous." Dean admitted as Castiel undid his tie and started to redo it.

The two of them dated for a couple of months before they got married and moved into Castiel's house. Dean left Sam their place and helped support him through college. Dean was grateful to find someone as understanding as Castiel was who agreed that Sam needed all the help he could get to get through college. Sam was now a big shot lawyer and this party was to celebrate his brother's success.

Once Dean and Castiel got married Dean started to help with event planning for the Novak family and discovered he had a knack for it. He and Castiel started to plan and host the family events which let Naomi focus on the business part of the well business.

"It's a party for Sam." Castiel said as he made Dean turn around and face him. He fixed his hair and smoothed down his jacket. "You got this. You have been practicing the speech for weeks now."

"I know." He sighed. He took Castiel's hand and brought it to his lips with a kiss. "What would I ever do without you?"

Castiel smiled. "Drive yourself insane with worry and doubt." He teased.

Dean laughed and took his hand in his. "Let's go."

The two of them walked out of their home. A few months back Claire had moved out to go to college it was the first time they had the space to themselves as a couple and it was nice. Dean still owned his mechanic shop and Castiel still had his bees and the two of them couldn't be any happier together. They walked hand and hand to Dean's car and headed to the farmhouse they held events at. It was going to be a big party for Sam or at least as big as they could muster.

They had many Christmas dinners and thanksgiving dinners at the farmhouse. Dean and Sam had been swept into the Novak family long before Dean and Castiel had gotten married. Dean smiled at his husband who was in the passenger seat. Husband. He never got tired of that word. He sometimes had to take a moment to process that he was actually married to Castiel now.

The pair arrived at the far house and they headed in. In no time family and friends arrived and Sam himself showed up. Before everything started Dean wanted to make a speech. He stepped up on a podium that Castiel had set up for him. He cleared his throat. He felt nervous but soon Castiel's hand found his and all the worry and doubt melted away.

"I would like to make a toast to my brother Sammy." He held up his glass. "I am happy that you got through college, passed your bar exam and are now a lawyer." He smiled. "You're my brother and I love you. I owe you a lot." He looked for Sam in the crowd who was easy to find as he towered over everyone. "Hell, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have gone to the farmers market and I wouldn't have met my husband. So this is to you, Sam, best little brother ever who accidentally helped me met the one."

The room filled with cheers and applause. He got down from the podium and walked up to Sam who hugged him.

"Love you too, Dean, even though you can be an idiot." Sam said with a laugh. He reached out and pulled Castiel into a hug too. "Thank you, both of you. I love you guys."

Castiel smiled. "Love you too, Sam. I like having a little brother." He said with a laugh

The party continued and Dean couldn't stop smiling. He was so happy now. He had the family he wanted, he had a wonderful husband, and a successful little brother. He had everything he had ever wanted. Everything was perfect. He pulled Castiel to him and kissed him deeply. "Love you, Cas." He said against his lips

"I love you too, Dean." Castiel said. "May we have many years together."

Dean kissed him on the forehead. "And many years in the afterlife."

THE END


End file.
